On Being Thankful
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
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You can listen to me read this essay here:
I have three more days in Phoenix and then I’m off again to Los Angeles and after that…who knows. I have had the most amazing six months here, an experience that took me completely by surprise and that I’m eager to share with everyone in an Inspirational Essay in December.
Years ago, I made a commitment to follow the teachings of Jesus and for me, one of the most important aspects of that commitment means living with as few possessions as possible. This has given me a life of freedom and a wealth of experiences that I otherwise would not have had and that I am now able to draw on for my essays. I consider every day a new adventure and despite the dark times we live in and the heavy subject matter I often write about, it is far more important to me to live life to its fullest with a lot of joy, rather than just talking about it.
Break Free with Karen Hunt does not have any paywall. I do this so that everyone can read my writing, in the hopes that, miracle of all miracles, someone who might otherwise be discouraged by the paywall and the preconceived notion that they will not agree with what I’m saying anyway, might be curious enough to read something that sounds interesting, playing a small part in breaking free of the echo chambers we are being forced into.
Despite the controversy surrounding some of my recent essays, I have received so many encouraging messages and emails from subscribers, that I thought I might share a few here. These happen to be from paid subscribers, without whose support I could not keep sitting here for hours on end, clacking away on my computer!
“The more I read of your writing, and the more complex and heated things get, the better I think you are and know I will always support you! There is no one else out there (here or abroad) that sees things as deeply and comprehensively as you. I thought you most recent piece, World at War, was the most insightful, intelligent and well researched pieces on this entire subject that I’ve seen so far. I appreciated it so much. And I always learn so much from you.” ~ Michael Gauthier
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Karen! Your writings provide vital information and shed timeless truths in our chaotic world. I love your children’s books, too…. Praying for you, your children and your work.” ~ garlind
“Dogged truth. A breath of fresh air in this age of manipulation, fear and misinformation…. Keep up the formidable work.” ~ James Monroe
“Hello Karen. I love your writing. Your inspirational stories from your childhood are my favorite.” ~ Mary Moriarty
What can Break Free with Karen Hunt subscribers look forward to in 2024?
I have a vision to start a Break Free podcast where I can interview “regular” people. Not experts or big names, rather those who have enlightening, controversial, unusual stories to tell but because they aren’t famous or aren’t experts in some given field or don’t have a million followers or subscribers or whatever, they would otherwise never have a chance to be heard.
This has always been a driving force for me. It was why I co-founded InsideOUT Writers—to give a voice to incarcerated youth. And why I founded My World Project—to connect youth in far off corners of the world with each other through art and writing. I will be publishing an essay about that called Peace in the Sahara, hopefully today or at the latest, tomorrow.
Anyway, if the podcast sounds like something you might want to watch/listen to, please consider making a contribution towards that goal. My two incredibly talented, tech savvy sons want to help me, however they assure me I will need some better equipment to make this vision a reality. Just having a better microphone, for example, would greatly improve the quality of my essay recordings. Who knows, maybe one day I will have a real studio in which to record my interviews and essays.
I don’t have any “Black Friday” deals. I can’t stand that term anyway. I can’t stand anything about the push to buy, buy, buy, all the things we don’t really need. This is mainly just a note to say thank you and to share my future vision.
To make this day even more joyous, here’s some artwork from The Rumpoles and the Barleys and a bit of the story, which is a lesson in thankfulness.
After Pape Rumpole has collected a scrumptious dinner from the Rumpole Mansion kitchen…
under great danger from the inhabitants of the house, not to mention Samuel, the cat...
Eustace and Prunella behave so badly at dinner, complaining about the peas and the parsnips and making a terrible mess, that they are sent to their room in disgrace.
Whereupon the mischievous little mice climb out of the window, slide down the drainpipe…
and fall into a cart filled with disgusting garbage, which takes them into the countryside and dumps them onto an even bigger pile of dirty smelly stuff.
Lost and frightened, they are lucky to meet up with a jaunty field mouse named Dagwood Barley who takes them to his home.
With a sniff of disgust, Prunella refuses to go down into the hole, leading to the Barley’s home. Eustace solves the problem by giving her a good push.
Eustance and Prunella find themselves in an underground home filled with noisy, happy mice where Mama Barley makes sure they have baths and are given clean clothes…
At dinner, Eustace and Prunella are prepared to dive right in, but they are stopped short when everyone bows their heads and Papa Barley prays to give thanks for the food.
The two little mice realize how badly they have behaved and begin to think of all the things they can be thankful for, especially their parents and their new friends.
The Barley Family accompany Eustace and Prunella home and they return to their parents, humbler and wiser for their experiences.
We can all learn a lesson from the Rumpoles and the Barleys. Start each day with thankfulness and you might be surprised at how much happier your mood will be throughout the day.
God bless you all during this holiday season.
Oh Karen!! I didn’t know who had drawn those beautiful illustrations, so I looked up the source to see if I could get a copy and found it was YOUR book! Yay!! Ordering copies for my children today!
I’m grateful for brothers and sisters in Christ, like you, who follow Christ in every way He leads, no matter what is typical in our culture.
I admire your willingness to follow the Lord and limit materialism in your life in such a purposeful way.
We talk about that subject often around here, and how materialism, in a broader sense, distracts us from the eternal. It can be so subtle. Even with our relationships, we can lose the eternal hope of things being put right when Jesus returns. Knowing that old disagreements, hurts, and distancing issues will one day vanish, and we’ll enjoy fellowship unencumbered by sin, gives us peace while we endure the present sufferings.
Thank you for being here and sharing your thoughts. I am encouraged.💗
Karen, I so enjoy your thought provoking writings. Your artwork amazes me! I hope you do reach those who live in a liberal echo chamber. Blessings to you!